Can agitator



Aug. 11, 1936. F. D. CHAPMAN CAN AGITATOR Filed Jan. 12, 1935 3. Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

0 4 ATTORNEY.

Aug. 11, 1936. F. b. CHAPMAN cm AGITATOR Filed Jan. 12, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 g 2 L a ATTORNEY.

Aug. 11, 1936.

F. D. CHAPMAN CAN AGITATOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 12, 1935 Ffyii INVENTOR.

&AQ.

ATTORNEY.

Patenied 11, 1936 2.05am cos soi'mooo v o. Chopin, Berlin, Wis. .ifibgi fifilfilfifiwfi Jammw 12,1935, in No. 1,5411

'1@ Claims;.. (6!. 29)

e present invention relates in general to immovements in the art of erecting liermeiicelly sealed batches of commodity, sod relates more specifically to improvements in the construction 5 and operation of receptacle-shoeing or soloist-log omioler iooddederr cams alone she mile or eririiiieriiji of the series, means ior dis= piecing she series of cans about "o sold Woile this prior agitator lies prover. i'llfy proc ticel in ociaiiei commerciel use, is reletivelv difficult the and to uolosd time machine, cod,

also she orlor device locks cspeciiv when ism-"e numbers ere io lee treated.

Ki, is sliersiore o. more specific object of else present invention to provide vorioos improve ments in ilie details of consicrucizioo oi machines oi the general l me forming the subject of sold potent, whereby the operziticn said of such devices is ieciliteied, end the efrlcieocy thereof is enhanced.

Another specific object of the presses ZlEQVQEF-Le time is to provide on improved can agitator, which may be quickly end conveniently loaded or uri= loaded. ericl wherein the receptacles ore firmly held in eosiiiori during the slsslring operation.

A iiirther specific object oi time invention is (so provide or durable agitating sterilizer liovirig moxirmim copoclizy for minimum space occupied by the secretes, end which con lie sciiisted with minimum power consumption.

Still another specific object of the invention is to provide on improved can-shaking reschenism wmclo is coopersble with containers of va rious sizes and shapes; and which can be reerli- 1y manipulated to obtain most efieciive end desireble results.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be appereni; from the following sccordence with the loveritlorsmov he Food by referring to the drawings accompanying sriol forming o port of this specification, in which like reference characters designate time some or similer ports in the vorious views. I v

l is o perspeciive view of e double ogiioilog sterilizer so it eppeers during noimol opere= lion, end else showing e. crate losdirig truck in cooperetive relation with one oi the ogiiletor units; N

Fig. 2 is on enlarged, longitudinal section ilomugli time mom casing of one of the agitator units Willi tire foremost com-sensing crate orrniie ted therefrom;

Fig. 3 is on end View of e sgiteior omit shown 15 in Fig. 2, looking tower-rd me loading end oi ilie mom cosine; V

' 4 is o, irerisverse, v ibical section through the drill; of Fig. 2, when inside oi loading end of the main cosinea -cl showing iii-e rotor compleiely filled with crc.

5 is s. flirt-her co l. i view oi one of the cencreres, showing the manner in which. i ore loaded into end confined within the .mmdzer;

\ Fig. ii is s pert secilonel side view of Cal l carrying croie of Fig. 55;

Fig. 7 is as part sectional end view of the crete, looking toward the resilient clamping mechanism m for confining the cons errdwise displace meiii;

Fig. 6 is o pert seciioi l, opposite cod View of the crate, looking low d the headline end thereof and showing iise Wood spocer and coils m removed;

Fig. 9 is as still enlarged, ceriirel, ver-= tice'l seciiori through. the resilient can clamping structure carried by eecli crate;

Fig. 10 is e likewise en ed, fragmentary end view of the crate locking mechanism;

Fig. ii is e fragmentary side view of she creie lockingstructure of Fig. ill;

Fig. 12 is o side elevation of one of the orote loading and handling trucks, showing o. creie positioned horlzontallyiliereori;

Fig. 13 is a similar view of the truclr, showing the crate swung to substantially upright loading: position; and

Fig. M is on end vies/i of the loading and hers 5Q dling truck, showing the crate positioned es in Fig. 12.

While the invention hos been illustrated and described herein as being specifically applied to on agitating sterilizer for heat treating beiclies so of food-laden, cylindrical cans in succession, it is not intended to unnecessarily restrict the scope by such specific embodiment; and it will be apparentthat some of the improved features may be more generally applied with advantage to other types of apparatus.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, of the drawings, the improved can-agitating sterilizer comprises in general a base l5 having one or more cylindrical retorts or main casings l6 fixedlysupported thereon; a can crate supporting rotor I! both slidably and rotatably mounted within each casing l6 by means of a main central shaft 18 supported in front and rear bearings 13, 2t, re-

ing end head 2| provided with a door 22 disposed laterally of the shaft l8, and each door 22 is adapted to be locked in closed position by means of levers 23 and manually operable jack-screws 24 coacting therewith. The retorts or casings I6 may also be provided with suitable means for heating the interiors thereof, and for controlling the temperatures therein, and the heating and pressure control systems for these units are well known to those skilled in the art and constitute no part of the present improvement. I

The present improved can-supporting and agitating rotor I1 is built up of a plurality of metallic structural members to form an annular series of four crate receiving and retaining compartments spaced about the central supporting shaft 18 as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and each having a series of crate engaging rollers 25 at one side thereof. The crate receiving compartments of the rotor I! are of slightly smaller transverse, cross-sectional area than the opening in the end head 2! with which the door 22 coacts, and a stop plate 26 is rigidly attached to the rotor ll centrally at the end of each compartment remote from the end head 2i. The opposite end of the rotor i'l adjacent to each of the crate, confining compartments is provided with a pivoted locking bar 21' having its swinging end constructed as shown in Figs. and 11, these bars being swingable as shown in dotted lines at the top of Fig. 4, in order to permit insertion and removal of crates to and from the compartments. The swinging end of each latch bar 21 is notched for engagement with a tie rod and latching bolt 28 and is adapted to be locked in engagement with the bolt 23 by means of a retainer 29 which is snapped into locking position by a spring 30 and is manually releasable upon compression of this spring, to permit the bar 21 to be swung away from its bolt 28. In Fig. 10, the retainer 29 is shown in released position, and in Fig. 11, the retainer has been snapped into locking position with its opposite end portions in locking engagement with notches 33 fr imed in the end of the bar 21.

One of the improved can confining crates 32 is shown in detail in Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 and comprises an elongated, rectangular box-like structure having an open side, and a plurality of perforations 33 in the other longitudinal side walls,

One end wall of each crate 32 is provided with a central opening 34 and is normally engaged by a plate 35, shown in detail in Fig. 9, which has a tubular casing 36 attached thereto and projecting through the opening 34 in the end wall of the 5 crate. A cap 31 secured to the tubular casing 36 slidably supports a plunger 33 which is constantly urged outwardly by a coil spring 33 confined within the casing 38, and the outer end of this plunger 38 is adapted to engage an adja- 10 centreaetion plate 28 of the rotor II when the crate 32 is pushed longitudinally within one of the crate receiving compartments. The crate 32 is, moreover, provided with corner rails 40 formed of angle irons, which are adapted to engage the rollers of the rotor ll during insertion and removal of the crate 32; and the end wall of the crate remote from the plate thereof is provided with a manipulating handle 4| and with a stiffening plate42 as shown in Figs. 4, 6, and 8. Each 20 crate 32 may also be provided with side lugs 43 for facilitating carriage thereof by means of side hooks and a crane, but these are not essential; and the free edges of the walls of each crate 32, which are nearest the crate loading opening, are preferably reenforced by a band E4.

Each crate 32 is adapted to receive a series of can confining trays 45 which are provided with perforations 46 and are capable of receiving cans 4'! of various sizes. The trays 45 are of less height than the cans 4'! and maybe inserted into and removed from the crate 32 through the open side thereof. A wooden filler block 48 may be utilized to fill the space adjoining the end wall of the crate 32, which is uppermost during loading, so that each crate will be substantially filled with the trays 45 and cans 4?, when properly loaded, as clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

The individual crates 32 may be conveniently loaded and unloaded by mounting the same upon a special truck 49 having a pivotally suspended crate cradle or support 56, as shown in Figs. 1, 12, 13, and 14. The truck 49 has supporting wheels 5| which permit convenient transportation thereof, and the support 58 is secured to the truck 49 by alined pivots 52 and is swingable from substantially horizontal position, as in Figs. 12 and 14, to substantially upright loading position, as in Figs. 1 and 13, the pivots 52 being set to bias the support toward horizontal position and against a stop 53. The downwardly swingable. end of the cradle support 56 has a removable crate stop bar 54 and a hook latch 55 for holding the support 58 in substantially upright loading position, and the support 50 also has rollers 53 cooperabfe with the crate rails 40 so as to permit ready sliding of the crates 32 onto and oflf of the truck cradle. When the crate 32 and support 33 are positioned as illustrated in Fig. 13, the can filled trays 45 may be stacked within the crates or removed therefrom with the greatest of ease; and when the cradle is swung into horizontal position, the bar 54 may be removed and the crate 32 may then be pushed off of the cradle and into the rotor crate receiving compartments past the door 22 of the casing IS, in an obvious manner.

In order to eiIect locking of the loaded crates 32 within the rotor l1, after they have been insorted in the manner just described, a special form of jack mechanism shown in Figs. 5 and 8 may be employed. When a loaded crate 32 has been pushed into position with the end plunger 38 in engagement with the corresponding plate 26, the jack yoke 51 may be applied to the interior surface of the casing end head 2| at opposite sides of the inlet opening; and a jack screw 54, adiustably mounted within the yoke 51, may be brought into engagement with the reenforcing end plate 42 by turning the jack handle 59. The crate 32 may then be forced forwardly to compress the spring 39 coacting with the plunger 38 and with the end plate 35, and the cans 41 and trays are thus clamped against possible endwise displacement. When suiilcient compression of the spring 39 has'been eflected, the corresponding pivoted locking bar 21 may be swung across the adjacent end of the crate and latched in position by manipulating the latch device 29. Upon subsequent release and removal of the special jack, the spring 39, coacting with the plunger 38, will become effective to force the crate 32 into firm engagement with the crossbar 21, and to clamp the trays 45 and cans 41 against endwise displacement relative to the rotor l1 during reciprocation of the latter. The crates 32 may obviously be removed from the rotor 11 by again utilizing this special jack and by reversing the loading operation, and the tie rods or bolts 28, which also serve to enhance the rigidity of the rotor structure, function to facilitate eifective clamping of the crates 32, trays 45, and can 41 within the rotor compartments. The rotor I 1 may be readily revolved to permit loading and unloading of the rotor compartments, by mechanism associated withthe casing end head 2|, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. This mechanism, which also serves to revolve the rotor l1 during reciprocation thereof while the canned product is undergoing treatment, comprises gearing 60 carried by a brackettl and operable by power applied to a pulley 62. If so desired, a hand wheel 63 may also be provided for manual actuation of the gearing, and this mechanism for revolving the rotor l1 may be substantially the same as that shown in my prior patent hereinabove referred to. The mechanism 21' for reciprocating the rotor i1 during heat treatment of the product may likewise be similar to that of my prior patent, and as shown in Fig. l, the weight of one loaded rotor may be utilized to substantially counter-balance that of another, during reciprocation thereof, in order to avoid necessity of employing a counter-weight for such balancing purposes. This double arrangement of the agitating units also enhances the capacity and reduces the power consumption to a minimum.

While the normal use of the apparatus should be relatively apparent from the foregoing detailed description thereof, the following is a short resume of such normal use. In order to load one of the crates 32 with hermetically sealed, food-laden cans 41, it is only necessary to place the crate upon the movable support 50 of the loading truck 49 and to swing this support into the position indicated in Fig. 13. The stop bar 54 serves to retain the crate 32 upon the support 50, and the open side of the crate is then accessible for insertion or removal of the canladen trays 45. When the crate has been loaded with trays 45 and cans 41, the latch may be released, whereupon the support 50 may be tilted to horizontal position against the stop 53. The truck 49 may then be transported to a position of alinement with the opening in the end head 2! of one of the casings l6, and upon opening the door 22, the loaded crate 32 may be pushed off of the rollers 56 of the support 50 and into one of the rotor compartments.

After the crate has been pushed into the rotor compartment, with the plunger 38 thereof in engagement with the corresponding rotor stop 24, the special jack may be applied for the purpose of clamping the cans 41 and the trays 45 within the crate 32. The yoke 51 of this special jack may be inserted through the open doorway and I applied to the end head 2|, after which the jack screw 58 may be brought forwardly against the plate 42. When the spring 39 has been sufficiently compressed to permit the locking bar 21 to be swung across the adjacent end of the crate 32, this bar may be brought into effective posi-- tion and locked in place with the aid of the latching device 29. The special jack may be subsequently removed, and during such removal of' the jack the spring 39.will force the trays 45 and cans 41 against the rear end of the crate 32 and will, in turn, force this rear end into intimate engagement with the cross-bar 21, thereby firmly clamping the trays and cans against possible endwise displacement relative to'the crate.

When the rotor l1 has been completely loaded with can-laden crates 32, the door 22 may be sealed, whereupon the interior of the casing l6 may be supplied with suitable heating medium. The cans 41 are then agitated by reciprocation of the rotor IT with the aid of the mechanism 2!, and the rotor i1 may be simultaneously rotated by applying power to the driving pulley 62, which actuates the gearing 60. After the confined product has been sufficiently heat treated, removal of the cans may be effected by opening the door 22 and subsequently utilizing the special Jack to release the successive locking bars 21.

The crates 32 may then be withdrawn upon the support 54 oi a truck 49 and may be conveyed by means of this truck to cooling baths. The lugs 43 facilitate removal of the hot crates 32 from the truck, and if so desired, the crate 32 may again be unloaded by utilizing a truck 49 for that purpose.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the present invention provides simple, compact, and highly efiicient means for facilitating loading and unloading of an agitator of the general type described. The crates 32 and trays .45 are preferably perforated so as to permit efilcient application of the heating medium to the cans 4i, and the mode of clamping these cans within the crates 32 prevents possibility of injury to the cans due to endwise displacement thereof while the rotor is being reciprocated. By utilizing crates 32, the rotor I! may be quickly loaded and unloaded with minimum loss of time; and the improved truck 49 obviously facilitates loading and unloading of the individual crates with trays 45. The improved features have proven highly successfullin actual commercial operation, and by utilizing opposed units, as illus-. trated in Fig. 1, the capacity and efliciency of this type of apparatus can be further enhanced.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact details of construction and to the precise mode of operation herein shown and described, for various modiflcations within the scope of the claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters formed for stacked assembly within said crate iii and along said axis, and means carried by said crate and cooperating directly with said support when said crate is mounted thereon for clamping said trays and the receptacles therein so as to prevent displacement of said crate, trays and receptacles relative to said support when the latter is reciprocated.

2. In combination, a support having an axis, means for reciprocating said support along said axis, means for efiecting angular displacement of said support about said axis, a crate adapted to be mounted upon said support, a plurality of receptacle confining trays formed for stacked assembly within said crate and along said axis, and means carried by said crate and cooperating directly with said support and with one of said trays when said crate is mounted upon said support for clamping said trays and the receptacles therein so as to prevent displacement of said crate, trays and receptacles along or away from said axis and relative to said support when the latter is reciprocated or displaced about said axis.

3. In combination, a support having an axis, means for effecting angular displacement of said support about said axis, a crate adapted to be mounted upon said support, a plurality of receptacle confining trays formed for stacked assembly within said crate and along said axis, and means carried by said crate and cooperating directly with said support when said crate is mounted thereon for clamping said trays and the receptacles therein so as to prevent displacement of said crate, trays and receptacles relative to said support when the latter is angularly' axis, a series of elongated crates adapted to bemounted upon saidsupport around said axis, a plurality of receptacle confining trays formed for stacked assembly within each of said crates and along said axis, and resilient means carried by each of said crates and cooperable directly with said support when said crates are mounted upon said support for clamping all of said trays and the receptacles therein so as to prevent displacement of said crates, trays and receptacles relative to said supportwhen the latter is reciprocated or angularly displaced.

5. In combination, a support having an axis and a series of compartments disposed around said axis, means for reciprocating said support along said axis, a series of crates adapted to be inserted within said compartments substantially parallel to said axis, a plurality of receptacle confining trays formed for stacked assembly within each of said crates and along said axis, and resilient means carried by each of said crates and cooperable directly with said support when said crates are disposed within said compartments for clamping all of said trays and the receptacles therein against displacement relative to said support when the latter is reciprocated.

6. In combination, a wall having an opening therein, a support having an axis and a compartment registrable with said opening, a crate adapted to be inserted within said compartment 'through said opening, a plurality of receptacle confining trays formed for stacked assembly within said crate and along said axis, resilient means carried by said crate and cooperable directly with said support when said crate is inserted within said compartment, means cooperable with said wall after said insertion for compressing said resilient means to effect clamping of said trays and the receptacles therein within said crate, and means for effecting displacement of said support relative to said axis.

7. In combination, a fixed wall having an opening therein, a support movable relative to an axis and having a compartment registrable with said opening, a crate formed for insertion within said compartment only through said opening, a plurality of receptacle confining trays formed for stacked assembly within said crate and along said axis. resilient means at one end of said crate and cooperable with said support when said crate is inserted within said compartment, means cooperable with said wall after said insertion for compressing said resilient means to clamp said trays and receptacles within said crate, means for subsequently locking said trays and receptacles in clamped condition, and means for moving said support relative to said axis.

8. In combination, a wall having an opening therein, a support movable relative to said wall and having a compartment registrable with said opening, a crate adapted to be inserted within said compartment only through said opening. a plurality of receptacle confining trays formed for stacked assembly within said crate, a resilient plunger 'at one end of said crate and cooperable with said support when said crate is inserted within said compartment, a jack cooperable with said wall after said insertion f or compressing said plunger to clamp said trays and receptacles within said crate, a latch at the opposite end of said crate for subsequently locking said trays and receptacles in clamped condition and for retaining said crate in fixed position relative to said support, and means for moving said support.

9. In combination, a wall having an opening therein, a support movableabout an axis and having a series of compartments disposed about said axis and successively registrable with said opening, a series of crates adapted to be inserted within said compartments only through said opening, a plurality of receptacle confining trays stacked within each of said crates, a resilient plunger carried by an end of each of said crates and cooperable with said support when the crate is inserted within one of said compartments, 2. jack cooperable with said wall after insertion of each crate within a compartment for compressing said plungers to clamp said trays and receptacles within said crates, and a latch cooperable with the opposite end of each crate for locking said crates, trays and receptacles against displacement relative to said support when said jack has been removed.

10. In combination, a fixed wall having an opening, a movable support having a compartment registrable with said opening, a crate insertable within said compartment through said opening, receptacle confining trays stacked within said crate, a spring pressed plunger carried by one end of said crate and cooperable with said support when the crate' is inserted within said compartment, a jack cooperable with said crate and with said wall after said insertion to compress the plunger spring and thereby clamp said trays and receptacles within said crate, and a latch cooperable with the opposite end of said crate for locking said crate, trays and receptacles within said compartment.

FRANK D. CHAPMAN. 

